5 under the radar free agent wide receivers the Detroit Lions could target

2. Deonte Harris

As the New Orleans Saints cycled through quarterbacks last season, due to injuries, COVID-19, etc., Harris averaged 15.8 yards per catch with three touchdowns on 36 catches. He also added five carries for 41 yards and another touchdown, while still serving as the team’s primary return man (29 kickoff returns and 21 punt returns) as he posted an even 1,500 all-purpose yards.

Harris is a restricted free agent, so the cap-strapped Saints ultimately control his rights if they want to tender him and decide whether or not to match any offer sheet he receives. For his first two seasons in the league and with the Saints, including when he earned a Pro Bowl selection as a return man in 2019, Lions head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) were on Sean Payton’s coaching staff.

Harris would upgrade the Lions’ return game (with an inherent assumption Kalif Raymond is gone then), and he looks like an interesting player with room to develop as a piece of an offense. Even as an RFA, Detroit might have Harris on their radar.